SAVANTS
Chapture 7's

I have no plans for this weekend.

Doesn't that sound sad? Tina and Zoe have Saturday jobs at local shops and Nelson goes out of town to see his father so there is no one to walk with. Simon had mentioned something about used piano hunting, but the idea was rejected by the Art Center manager who asked my parents to come in and clear their studio space.

I know better the way than to block them. It would be like standing between two chocoholics and their candy supply. It made me circle around the town of Wrickenridge, the only comet in my own orbit.

"Come and meet us for lunch" said Sally, giving me twenty dollars. "Go down the street and see what's in town."

It didn't take long. Wrickenridge is an old-fashioned American, even Starbucks disguised itself as a Swiss-style chalet. There is a small selection of upscale shops, some only open during ski season, some hotels with fancy restaurants waiting for winter, restaurants, community centers, and gyms.

I stood outside for a while wondering if it was worth taking a closer look but in the end I felt too embarrassed to give it a try. The same goes for the spa and the adjoining nail salon. I wonder if the Nails are neat and this place Tina finished it.

Traveling further, I headed down Main Street towards the park, enjoying the city flowers filled with bright autumn flowers. Passing through a duck pond that doubles as an ice rink in winter, I walked until the garden planting faded into mountain trees and shrubs.

A few people walking around in the sun greeted me as I passed by, but I was left alone, I wished I had a dog to make my presence less conspicuous. Maybe I should suggest it to Sally and Simon.

A rescue dog that needs a home because someone has left it, I want it. The problem is we're just sure to stay for a year not long enough to be fair on pets.

I followed the path, hoping to reach a good vantage point, while walking I saw the park entrance marked on the map with the interesting label 'ghost city'. My leg muscles burned as the path led me to a rocky path that had a beautiful view of Wrickenridge and other valleys. The label doesn't lie, a home to an abandoned wooden building street, reminds me of the movie when filming was finished. I read a plaque that was hammered to the ground.

The Gold Rush was built in 1873 when the first chunks of gold were discovered in the Eyrie River. Abandoned 1877. Seven miners died when the Eagle shaft collapsed in Spring 1876 .

Only four years and the miners have formed a small community consisting of lodging houses, salons, shops, and houses. Most of the dark wood buildings had lost their roofs, but some were still made of straw in the zinc which creaked ominously in the wind.

Rusty chains dangled on the edge of the steep slope, swaying over the golden wildflowers clinging to the edges. That would be a great backdrop for a really spooky story - 'Revenge of the Miners', or something.

I could already hear the bone-chilling themes, combining the quiet clanking of chains and the hollow tones of wind blowing through the abandoned buildings.

But this is a sad place. I don't like to think of the miners buried somewhere on the slopes of the mountain, crushed under a rock that weighs tons.

After looking through the building, I sat down, crossed my legs on the bench, I thought of buying Coke and a bar of chocolate before climbing all the way here. Colorado is so big, everything is on a scale that is foreign to an Englishman like me.

I followed the progress of a yellow van that meandered along the main road, heading east. The cloud shadow moved across the field, on the roof, dimmed a pond and moved it to make bright eyes look up at the sky again. The sky was arched above the peak, a soft blue color in this misty morning.

I tried to imagine the people living up here, their faces facing the rock rather than the sky, noticing the golden glint. Did any of them stay and move to Wrickenridge? Did I go to school with his descendants.

A broken twig behind me. Heart pounding, head filled with ghostly scenes, I spun around to see, and Zed Benedict walked up to the point where the trail left the trees. He looked tired, a shadow under his eyes that was absent last week. Her hair was disheveled, as if she had not combed it for days.

"Perfect, what else do I need" he said insinuatingly, I backed off.

Words do not count towards making a girl feel good about herself.

I'm up. "I'm leaving."

"Forget over. I'll be back later." he said.

He stood up straight and just stared at me. I felt the strangest sensation, like he was pulling something from me, as if there was a thread between us and he wrapped it around.

I shivered and closed my eyes, raising my hands, palms towards him. Suddenly I felt dizzy. "Please don't do that." I said.

"Don't do what?"

"Look at me like that." I blushed red. He'll now think I'm totally crazy. I turned around and walked to a nearby building, leaving a bench for her, but she followed.

"What do you see you like?" he repeated, kicking the wooden board in front of him. One gust of strong wind and I'm sure it will hit our heads.

"I don't want to talk about it." I walked forward, towards the empty framed window overlooking the valley. "Forgetit."

"Hey, I'm talking to you." He caught my arm, but seemed to reconsider. "Look..er ... Sky, right" He turned his eyes upwards as if looking for inspiration, not quite believing what he was going to do. "I have to tell you something." He said seriously while looking at me.

A gentle breeze went under the roof, making the zinc roof creak. I suddenly realized how far we were from other people. He let go of my arm. I rubbed on the spot where his fingers had touched my skin.

He frowned, even reluctant to talk to me, but forced himself to do so. "There's something you need to know."

"What?"

"Be careful at night. Don't come out alone."

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday I saw ... Look, just be careful okay?"

No, it's okay. He was one of those scary men.

"You're right." I said.

Whahuh? I didn't say that out loud, did I?

He swore and kicked the broken mining equipment in frustration. The chain rang to and fro, reminding me of a body swinging on the executioner's scaffold.

I hugged my arm to my chest, trying to make myself a smaller target. My fault. I've done something, I don't know what makes him angry.

"No, you haven't!" He said those words sharply. "It's not all your fault, you hear" he dropped his voice. "And you think I'm just scaring you, don't you?"

I froze.

"good. I'm gonna go." He walked suddenly, disappearing among the empty buildings, cursing at himself quietly.

She's weird